Thursday, February 25, 2010
another dangerous use of the internet
i had come across this article about ChatRoulette a few days ago and was waiting to look it up before i wrote about it. there was a segment on GMA about it, so i will take the two sources as sufficient information for now.
the premise, in case you are not familiar, is that through the use of a webcam, you video chat automatically with strangers. just hit start and there you are, connected with a random person in the world. if you don't like what you see, click next and there's someone else.
the article above and the GMA piece mention two aspects of the site: instant rejection and porn. the instaneous rejection by strangers can take a toll on your self-esteem. both sources also report that it only takes a few clicks to see some awfully disgusting things, often from very young people. the site also allows you to take screenshots or record the videos for further posting (youtube). it worries me that the internet brings out the worst in people and, as we all know, what's on the internet lasts forever. scary stuff our kids are doing. sometimes we keep our kids inside to protect them, but i think it might be safer for my child to be out in the street with drugs addicts and real-time perverts.
the premise, in case you are not familiar, is that through the use of a webcam, you video chat automatically with strangers. just hit start and there you are, connected with a random person in the world. if you don't like what you see, click next and there's someone else.
the article above and the GMA piece mention two aspects of the site: instant rejection and porn. the instaneous rejection by strangers can take a toll on your self-esteem. both sources also report that it only takes a few clicks to see some awfully disgusting things, often from very young people. the site also allows you to take screenshots or record the videos for further posting (youtube). it worries me that the internet brings out the worst in people and, as we all know, what's on the internet lasts forever. scary stuff our kids are doing. sometimes we keep our kids inside to protect them, but i think it might be safer for my child to be out in the street with drugs addicts and real-time perverts.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
free association #38
Labels: free association
adorable photo of the day #33
happy easter early. i nearly died when i saw how cute this baby bunny was.
Labels: adorable photo of the day
yes, it's better, but not good enough
jessica from feministing spells it out for us. she writes that for women in America, equality is still an illusion.
Labels: crime and social justice
Monday, February 22, 2010
the olympics
the US is kicking butt!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
1,000 colleges still do it
an article from the pilot today says that fewer colleges are printing yearbooks, referencing the decision this year for UVA to not print a yearbook. those quoted in the article cite social networking sites such as facebook as a reason for the decrease in student interest in obtaining a yearbook.
i've been in college for quite some time and it has never occurred to me to buy a yearbook [though ODU no longer prints one either]. in a school of 20,000, how are those featured in a yearbook going to mean anything to me? my two cents: the colleges need that money for other things. let the students use facebook.
i've been in college for quite some time and it has never occurred to me to buy a yearbook [though ODU no longer prints one either]. in a school of 20,000, how are those featured in a yearbook going to mean anything to me? my two cents: the colleges need that money for other things. let the students use facebook.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
eliminate 12th grade?
that's what senator chris buttars is proposing in utah. he believes it is a financially strategic move to eliminate the fourth year of high school throughout the state, calling 12th grade a time for "nothing but playing around."
i do not have direct knowledge of the quality of education in utah,* but this is a bad move in my opinion. the worst case scenario is that this would become a trend for other states.
i will concede that for some students, senior year is a time for slacking off. but this is certainly not true for all students. some students take college prep classes, some strengthen themselves athletically, while still others use internships to prepare for both the workplace and college applications. some students are still catching up on fundamental principles.
i see a lot of students in college who i feel are unprepared for college. many lack even basic writing skills, let alone critical thinking skills. further, if senior year were eliminated, that would mean more 17 year old students in college. another bad idea. perhaps it is up for debate on how much a person matures and grows in one year, but from 17 to 18, it is considerable for most people.
* the article does note that utah "ranks 50th among the 50 states in per-pupil spending, according to the U.S. Department of Education."
i do not have direct knowledge of the quality of education in utah,* but this is a bad move in my opinion. the worst case scenario is that this would become a trend for other states.
i will concede that for some students, senior year is a time for slacking off. but this is certainly not true for all students. some students take college prep classes, some strengthen themselves athletically, while still others use internships to prepare for both the workplace and college applications. some students are still catching up on fundamental principles.
i see a lot of students in college who i feel are unprepared for college. many lack even basic writing skills, let alone critical thinking skills. further, if senior year were eliminated, that would mean more 17 year old students in college. another bad idea. perhaps it is up for debate on how much a person matures and grows in one year, but from 17 to 18, it is considerable for most people.
* the article does note that utah "ranks 50th among the 50 states in per-pupil spending, according to the U.S. Department of Education."
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
bits
matthew broderick is coming to tv. no doubt he will succeed with it. doesn't he do everything well?
the commercials have gotten to me. i voted in the roll poll. i'm an over girl.
i just heard about this one. a 14-year old boy in colorado killed his parents to get out of doing chores. he then stole a truck and was arrested while driving the next day. he was charged as an adult for an array of charges (i'm sure this is done to be sure he is convicted of something). i will have to remember to keep following this one. there's some talk that he was abused. but i want to know where he got the gun...
the commercials have gotten to me. i voted in the roll poll. i'm an over girl.
i just heard about this one. a 14-year old boy in colorado killed his parents to get out of doing chores. he then stole a truck and was arrested while driving the next day. he was charged as an adult for an array of charges (i'm sure this is done to be sure he is convicted of something). i will have to remember to keep following this one. there's some talk that he was abused. but i want to know where he got the gun...
tiger numbers could be as low as 3,200
what sad news. a discovery report that there are fewer than 50 wild tigers in China.
in other animal news, manatees, sea turtles and fish are freezing to death off the coast of Florida.
"there are only around 15 Bengal tigers left in Tibet, 10 Indochinese tigers in China's southwest, and around 20 Siberian tigers in the northeast, she told reporters.this three thousand number is an all-time low "down from an estimated 20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago."
And the South China tiger may already be extinct. According to the international conservation group WWF, none have been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000."
in other animal news, manatees, sea turtles and fish are freezing to death off the coast of Florida.
Monday, February 15, 2010
some of these are interesting
Friday, February 05, 2010
hitchhiker
the kid had me read "The Hitchhiker" by Lucille Fletcher (originally heard on the radio in 1946) after she read it in school. she thought is was an interesting read, but was a bit baffled at the interpretation that it may have had anything to do with the afterlife or god.
i'll leave god out of it, but i am glad she shared the story. now i am passing it along.
i'll leave god out of it, but i am glad she shared the story. now i am passing it along.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
don’t ask, don’t tell
obama said he wants to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell" in the military to allow gays to openly serve. from what i hear, many military officials are on board with this. and why not?
military men already know that gays are serving in the ranks with them. what would be the difference? this is a case of the "older" people catching up with the "younger" people.
on a similar note, i am discussing homosexuality in my class today. among the stats i will present:
the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project found that 49% of Americans answered yes to the question "Should homosexuality be accepted by society?” (41% say no). in comparison, 70% of Canadians agree and 60% of Mexicans. for even further comparison, those answering yes in Sweden are 86%, France 83%, Spain 82%, Britain 71%, Russia 20%, Japan 49%.
military men already know that gays are serving in the ranks with them. what would be the difference? this is a case of the "older" people catching up with the "younger" people.
on a similar note, i am discussing homosexuality in my class today. among the stats i will present:
the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project found that 49% of Americans answered yes to the question "Should homosexuality be accepted by society?” (41% say no). in comparison, 70% of Canadians agree and 60% of Mexicans. for even further comparison, those answering yes in Sweden are 86%, France 83%, Spain 82%, Britain 71%, Russia 20%, Japan 49%.
you made it down here?
what? you want a reward?
